Festus Keyamo, spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari reelection campaign, has described those who protested at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as “known masters of rigging”.

On Friday, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, led a protest to INEC headquarters over the Osun governorship election.

Among those who joined the protest were Uche Secondus, PDP national chairman , Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state, Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa and Ben Bruce, senator representing Bayelsa east.

They had demanded that the electoral body declare Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the poll.

The protesters also described INEC as an arm of the federal government.

The opposition had claimed that the rerun was rigged in favour of the APC.

Adeleke had defeated Gbenga Oyetola, his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, with 353 votes but INEC declared the election inconclusive and fixed a rerun won by Oyetola.

Reacting to the protest via his Twitter handle, Keyamo, a senor advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said “the protest was more about the refusal of INEC to allow them practice their trade”.

“Some Nigerians I saw were laughing out so loud today when they saw pictures of some know masters of rigging ‘protesting’ at INEC office against ‘rigging’ in Osun State,” Keyamo wrote.

“I therefore concluded that the protest was more about the refusal of INEC to allow them practice their trade.”

Meanwhile, Bruce alleged that he was teargassed by the police. The lawmaker said he went with words but “they answered with bullets!”

“I have just been teargassed by the @PoliceNG at @inecnigeria office. Gunshots have been fired. This was a d still is a peaceful protest,” Bruce tweeted.

“How can I be treated like this in a country I have fought for and invested in? This is madness, I came with words they answered with bullets!”